Birthday for E-Type Jaguar
First outing for iconic sportscar
Jaguar E-Type
Perhaps Lyons' most monumental achievement, the E-Type was the fastest sports car in the world when it was released in 1961. With a top speed of 150mph and a zero to 60 of 6.5 seconds, the Jaguar is revered as one of the most stunning looking cars ever made, judging by the prices they still fetch.
It has style, performance, and pedigree: its shell was designed by an aerodynamics engineer, it was propelled by the triple SU carburetted 3.8 litre 6-cylinder Jaguar XK6 engine from the XK150S, and was based on the 1950s Le Mans winning D-Type race car. Best of all, unlike other supercars of its time, it was a mass-market product: over 70,000 were built.
All E-Types feature a fully-independent suspension for improved ride and handling, and power-assisted disc brakes on all four wheels, features that were uncommon for cars from that era.
The series 2 and 3 cars lost the faired-in headlamps -- many say to the detriment of its good looks -- and production ended in 1974 with the series 3, easily identifiable by the aggressive, slatted front grill in place of the mouth of earlier cars, flared wheel arches and a badge on the rear that proclaims it to be a V12.
Picture courtesy of FreeDigitalPhotos.net
Is 46 a bit of a milestone then?
Well I guess it's just a "Happy Birthday"
I was thinking about this last week actually as I was going through Geneva airport you could see where the Geneva Motor show was happening.
I'm surprised the E-Type was the fastest sports car in the world at it launch. There had been faster cars in production before then, if not mass produced ones. The 1957 XKSS was rather quicker, depending on the rear axle fitted they'd top 160 and Road and Track clocked the 0->60 time at 5.5s. which even today is PDQ. This car BTW had it's 50'ieth birthday 14th January.
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